52 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. I 
previous week or two they had not been observed round the 
outskirts, and only on one or two oceasions in the wood itself. 
On our approaching the trees containing the old Herons’ 
nests and tapping them vigorously no Hobby was seen, and ~ 
a thorough search of the vicinity produced no result. After 
watching these nests for about an hour, we neither saw nor 
heard anything of either Hobby. We therefore commenced 
a more® prolonged and far-reaching search through other 
parts of the wood, and in the new heronry, but still without 
result. Thinking that perhaps she may have been off feeding, 
we returned to the old heronry, and again vigorously tapped 
and kicked all the trees, but as this produced no result, we 
decided to climb them, before proceeding further, in case 
the eyrie should contain fresh eggs. One of us had climbed 
about ten feet up the first tree, when with a single, short, 
high scream the Hobby darted off over the tree-tops down 
the hill and disappeared in a few seconds. Her breast 
showed up splendidly in the light as she flew away. This 
was 2.20 p.m. Descending the tree at once, we took up a 
position some distance off whence a good view of the nest 
could be obtained and waited for forty minutes without a 
sight or sound of the Hobby. Accordingly we decided to 
climb to the nest to make certain, and found a beautiful 
clutch of three eggs: large, and of a fairly uniform yellowish- 
brown. 
We then again waited for the falcon to return. After a 
lapse of an hour and ten minutes, the cry of the Hobby 
** Keek-keek-keek,”’ or nearly “ Greék’’ rang out, and -we saw 
her fly rapidly round in a half-circle, dart down over the wood 
and then back again, and sail across in front of us, her curved 
wings being very noticeable. She then settled on the dead 
branch of an oak about eighty yards away from us. She 
stayed here for about five minutes, and we had a magnificent 
view of her through our glasses. Suddenly now the male 
appeared, and the pair flew away together with remarkably 
rapid evolutions and turns of flight, and disappeared down 
the wood again, without visiting the eyrie. We waited 
another twenty minutes without either seeing or hearing 
anything ‘more of the birds. Except for the two cries noted 
above, the birds were silent the whole of this day. The day 
was bright and warm, with a slight breeze. 
On June 22nd, 1913, we visited a series of woodlands in 
one of the midland counties, and in particular a “ brake ” 
of about sixty-five acres, which had been a favourite resort 
of the Hobby for many years. It contained several old 
